- Worldwide: hit by the recession, Japan is currently the most expensive country for companies (and for expatriates) because of its expensive labour costs and rents, according to a survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The EIU analysed thirty countries that attract the greatest levels of investment or have the potential for doing so in the future. The USA came second and Germany third. Labour costs are expensive in both countries. The runners-up are as follows: the United Kingdom,...